Educational Media Reviews Online

By some estimates over 90% of Southern California wetlands have been destroyed. This isn’t surprising given that this region is both a population center and a prime area for agricultural production. The Ventura River watershed is one of the few non-channelized rivers in Southern California and Watershed Revolution describes the efforts of the Surfrider Foundation, Matilija Coalition and several other organizations to protect and restore this drainage basin which has its headwaters in the Pas Padres National Forest.

The main presentation can be viewed in either English or Spanish and there are five additional features which may be of interest to educators: Sea to Summit takes a new look at the water cycle using interview clips of a snowboarder and a skateboarder; Growing the Beaches describes where our sand comes from and how man-made structures can disturb the supply to the beach; Shifting Baselines in the Surf cautions viewers to see the full extent of human impact and not just recent incremental changes in the watershed; Stream Team chronicles the activities of volunteers; and Surfrider PSA’s introduces viewers to the activities of this stewardship organization.

This video will appeal most to those from the Ventura or Southern California area, but as an “Official Selection of the Newport Beach Film Festival” and one of 58 films chosen for the “Wild and Scenic Environmental Films On Tour”, this is a solid video on the topic of watershed ecology. My only complaint was the over-use of time-lapse photography but it was a useful tool in some of the clips and did not detract from the overall educational value of the film. The producers supply a number of educational links from their website. I recommend this title for high-school, public and college libraries.